Club Gricel is a special place. It is a lovely traditional Milonga with gorgeous music, a local clientele and usually plenty of space to dance. On Saturday nights Maya Gaillard teaches a group tango class there with my teacher, Ariel. The Milonga begins afterwards at 11.00pm and runs until 5.00am. Our class have tables reserved for the Milonga so we are always there with friends and our teachers. Over the weeks, we have gradually been accepted and welcomed by the regular Porteno clientele. There is a strong community atmosphere at Gricel and we are slowly becoming part of the Gricel ‘family’.
Last night was the 12th anniversary of the reopening of Club Gricel and they celebrated with a ‘fiesta’. The place was packed, every table was reserved and at around 1.30am all the couples who teach at Gricel took turns to dance for us. Ariel and Maya danced a tango. Although they teach the class together, they are not partners and have never danced together before. They had no time to practice so their tango was improvised. I thought they looked the perfect couple. One day I would love to have the space to dance a tango like this, with or without an audience. Maya is a beautiful dancer and inspires me to elegance and grace.
Normally we eat empanadas or tostadas at Gricel after our class, but last night they were serving free ‘paella’ – at least that’s what it appeared to be – in little plastic tubs. I couldn’t help thinking that seafood was a slightly odd choice for a Milonga. We were all madly eating mints afterwards! It wasn’t a great dancing night for me, I seemed to end up with a string of men who were more interested in holding on to me between dances (not the done thing) or inviting me to meet them for ‘coffee’, than focussing on their tango. But hey, some nights are like that. It’s the same the world over… I am gradually learning how to deal with this sort of thing, in Castellano, with dignity. Now that I feel like a beautiful dancer I am learning to believe that I can be one, whatever my leader gets up to!
More important to me was the happy social interaction at our tables, and with the tables around us. We had fun, and had our photos taken with the older, distinguished and charming locals who told us we were divine. One man who is clearly a very important person at this Milonga took the trouble to stop me as I came off the dance floor to tell me that I dance beautifully. I can’t tell you how this sort of moment makes me swell with pride. When we arrive people like this interrupt their dancing to wave at us from the dance floor. I cannot believe sometimes that they are actually waving at me! After all I am in Buenos Aires now, not Southampton…
The birthday cake was finally cut at 3.00am. Gabriella and I had been ready to leave at least half an hour before but we were determined not to miss out on our cake! It was worth waiting for because of course it was full of the ‘dulce de leche’, that no Argentine cake can be without. A sweet, sweet way to end a perfect night. It takes us about half an hour to leave Club Gricel. Everyone wants a goodbye kiss, it is the Argentine way. We all promise to be there next Saturday and we will be. It is one of the highlights of my week.
See pictures of the Club Gricel Fiesta
Watch Ariel and Maya dance an improvised tango
